Colleen Burke

Colleen D. Burke died Sunday, March 29, 2020, peacefully at her home, after a long battle with cancer. Colleen was the daughter of Miriam Burke Mazarra and James Burke (who pre-deceased her) of Yonkers, New York and the sister of Miriam Burke, Debra Muench and Janice Sabol.

Born on July 23, 1960 and raised in Yonkers, she attended Sacred Heart Grade School and High School. She received her Associate’s Degree from Westchester Community College, her Bachelor’s Degree from the College of New Rochelle, and Master’s Degrees from Lehman College and Fordham University. Colleen resided in Hastings, New York before moving to Chatham, New Jersey to be closer to her family there.

Colleen brightened the lives of everyone and anyone she ever encountered with her warm sense of humor and her ability to connect with each person. She was a ray of sunshine to everyone she met.

Colleen worked for the New York City Department of Education for thirty years in the Bronx, New York, where she was a teacher and staff developer before moving on to assistant principal. She was gifted in all these roles, deeply touching the lives of the many children, teachers and faculty members she worked with. After retiring, and through the course of her illness, Colleen continued to work with teachers to improve their practice and started a very successful student-to-student reading intervention program. Colleen was adored by all who knew her.

Colleen is survived by her beloved family. In addition to her mother and sisters, survivors include brothers-in-law George Muench, Richard Sabol and Kevin Hengel, nieces and nephews Patricia and Steve Opalewski, James Muench, Thomas Sabol and Erica Sabol, George and Sharon Muench, Steven and Sharon Muench, great nieces and nephews Matthew, Emily, Megan, Ryder, Peyton and Bridget, many cousins and her dog Ginger, her loving and loyal companion til the end.

A special thank you to all Colleen’s family and friends, especially Ginny Jewel-Scialabba and Amy Lipson who helped care for her until the end.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey.